Integrated Primary Care

A primary care doctor is often a patient’s first point of contact with the health care system. Patients develop relationships with their primary and community care providers that can span years and include an entire family. As a patient’s health becomes more complex, they can be seen by several providers and their information does not always move with them– from specialists in the hospital to personal support workers in their home.

The benefits of integrating primary and community care into the health care system could include:

Care coordination that follows a patient throughout their various providers

Improved access to care and better outcomes – where patients are seen sooner, by the most appropriate provider and as close to home as possible

Patients today are getting quality care, but their providers want to be able to do more. Strengthening the connections between primary care providers and the health care system is the pivotal next step to ensuring better care for Ontarians and their families.

To do this, the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is aiming to improve access to and integration of primary and community care at the local level. Toronto Central LHIN has identified a group of primary care leaders and local champions, our Primary Care Clinical Leads, to co-design a way forward that will meet community needs.

Our first step will be to engage all the primary care providers and build, networks at the local level that include all care sectors.